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Educating Bubba
How my big nervous dog got his groove back.
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I owned Bubba for just six weeks when it became clear he had issues. A 90-pound blue-tick coonhound, Bubba is not the sort of animal bred to live in a one-bedroom apartment in Jersey City.
Bubba can be an angel, but there are those alarming times when my three-year-old buddy exhibits what the vet calls “fear-based aggression” around animals and strangers. When Bubba ran the dog walker out of the apartment, I knew it was time to get professional help.
I had already tried one trainer who put Bubba in a class with other dogs—an approach doomed to failure. On a friend’s recommendation, I called Steve Borgfield of Bark Busters, a trainer who specializes in working with dog owners in their homes.
Week 1: Bubba initially tries to scare off his new trainer. But Borgfield hangs in there, figuring out Bubba’s comfort zone. Soon, the trainer is working to establish behavioral boundaries for my big hound. He has to reteach me a few things, too. Rather than employing typical commands like “no” and “bad dog,” he suggests I create a unique “vocal correction.” In our case, it is a growly “bah.”
I had been making another common mistake by using food to entice my pet to mind me. Food is a quick fix, Borgfield says; once it goes away, so does the dog’s attention. The voice can do the trick for the long term.
In less than 30 minutes, Bubba is responding repeatedly to Borgfield’s “bah.” He learns not to rush the front door of my apartment. He even starts to heel comfortably on a leash.
In the coming days, Bubba and I continue to work on Borgfield’s program. At the trainer’s direction, we keep drills to a minimum. Once Bubba catches on to a lesson, we move on to something else, such as getting him to come when called—“the recall,” in trainers’ lingo.
Week 2: Satisfied with the progress we are making in the apartment, I take Bubba’s re-education to the streets. Although he is still nervous in the company of strangers, Bubba keeps close to me when walking—just as he has been taught. We return home relaxed and happy.
My parents take Bubba for the weekend and comment on how much better he does walking on the leash. Bubba behaves when the Fed Ex man arrives and interacts successfully with the neighbors and their dogs. He seems calmer and more confident. Are his jumpy days in the past?
Week 3: Borgfield returns to check on our progress. This time, Bubba does not challenge the trainer when he enters the apartment; in fact, Bubba looks happy to see him. Borgfield resumes working on the recall, reeling in the dog on his long leash when he does not respond to my voice.
Week 4: Bubba is a different dog. I had been ready to throw in the towel, but the team of Borgfield and Bubba proved me wrong. Next challenge: training Bubba to fetch the remote.
Barbara Debler is sales account executive for njmonthly.com.
